I recently bought a bottle of Yria from Yves Rocher, at the same time as I bought a bottle of Yves Rocher Clea. Both were a blind buy and the special offer that week was buy one get one free- hence I bagged both scents for a total of £15.

You may recall my earlier review of Clea, elsewhere in this blog, which I liked very much. (It smells a bit like Dove!) I was immediately taken with Yria. Thoughts of long lost gem Avon Foxfire came to mind as I smelled it. It is feminine and classically “perfumey” i.e it smells how I imagined perfume ought to smell when I was growing up. It’s a broad combination, and I suppose, if forced into a corner, I would describe it as an Oriental. However it’s a light floral Oriental that retains it prettiness throughout.

It opens with fresh citrus florals and has a certain zing when it goes on. However, that zing is no hesperide: right from the start the floral notes (all the big hitters are present and correct) warm up the citruses, so this doesn’t smell too eau de cologne.

Once the flowers move in, and you can particularly notice the Gardenia and Rose, the scent starts to warm up with a little Amber and Patchouli. With the juxtaposition of Magnolia over Patchouli, there are hints of Narciso Rodriguez For Her and Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely. However, Yria has the Amber and the Sandalwood to make the base warmer and more of an evening scent. I have to say, I adore this, and its lovely bottle. It’s very versatile.

You could wear it to work (but go easy first thing in the morning) and wear it in the evening too. It’s a warm Oriental lite with enough flowers to stop things getting to heavy. Longevity is great at around six or seven hours, and quality is superb. I can’t believe it was the price it was. It knocks the socks off most of the modern High Street scents I have smelled in the last year.